1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a recording/reproducing apparatus and a recording/reproducing method, in which a reproduction of data which has been recorded on a recording medium and is continuous with respect to time is temporarily stopped on the basis of pause information set by the user and the pause information set by the user is recorded onto the recording medium.
2. Description of the Related Art
To learn a foreign language, it is necessary for a learner to repetitively hear the pronunciation of a native instructor or to record his own pronunciation and repetitively confirm whether it is correctly pronounced or not. As a recording/reproducing medium which is used as a learning material at the time of hearing the pronunciation of the instructor or recording his own pronunciation and learning the foreign language as mentioned above, a compact cassette tape has widely been used hitherto. However, according to the compact cassette tape, an access speed is low and the fast-forward operation or the rewinding operation of the tape has to be frequently repeated in order to repetitively hear and learn the pronunciation of the instructor. According to the compact cassette tape, a high sound quality cannot be obtained.
A CD (Compact Disc) (registered trademark) is, therefore, used to learn a foreign language. According to the CD, an access speed is remarkably high, a higher sound quality is also obtained, and a mass production can be easily performed as compared with the tape. Learning materials for learning of a foreign language using a CD, therefore, have already widely been sold.
An MD (Mini Disc) (registered trademark) is also suitable to learn a foreign language. The recording and reproduction can be performed in the MD. Therefore, if the MD is used, it is possible to repetitively record and confirm his own pronunciation. Since the MD is small-sized and can be easily carried, if the MD is used, a foreign language can be learned on the way to office or school or the like by carrying a small MD recording/reproducing apparatus.
Further, in recent years, a memory card which is detachable from the main body is being developed. An audio recording/reproducing apparatus using a memory card has been proposed. An extension memory is a card-shaped recording medium having therein, for example, an NAND type flash memory. Since an audio recording/reproducing apparatus using such an extension memory has a high access speed and can be very easily handled, it is considered that the memory card will be widely used for learning a foreign language in future.
In the learning materials for learning of a foreign language using a recording medium such as compact cassette, CD, MD, extension memory, or the like as mentioned above, a silent time is provided for allowing the learner to pronounce subsequently to a word or phrase which is pronounced by the instructor or practice a conversation. The silent time has an important meaning.
For example, in a practice of pronunciation xe2x80x9cThis is a penxe2x80x9d, after the instructor pronounced xe2x80x9cThis is a penxe2x80x9d, the learner mimics the pronunciation of the instructor and pronounces xe2x80x9cThis is a penxe2x80x9d for the silent time. This is the reason why a period of a few seconds after the instructor pronounced xe2x80x9cThis is a penxe2x80x9d becomes a silent time. The silent time is hitherto a mere blanking interval.
As mentioned above, in the learning of a foreign language, the silent time has the important meaning. The time necessary as a silent time and a position to be made silent differ in dependence on an interest, a learning level, or the like of the learner, respectively. For example, a necessary silent time for the experienced learner and that for the beginner are different. Although a skilled learner can pronounce even for a short silent time, the beginner needs a long silent time.
For example, for the learner who well knows a phrase xe2x80x9cThis is a penxe2x80x9d, since it is unnecessary to train this phrase, the subsequent silent time is unnecessary. If he newly finds an important expression, by setting the subsequent time to the silent time, he can repetitively learn such an important expression.
As mentioned above, to learn a foreign language, it is demanded that a duration of the silent time and the setup and deletion of the silent time can be freely performed.
As mentioned above, a compact cassette tape, a CD, an MD, an extension memory, or the like is used as a recording medium for learning of a foreign language. However, in any case, the silent time is a mere blanking interval. It is, therefore, not easy to change the position or duration of the silent time.
That is, to provide the silent time, it is necessary to manually pause or form a silent time and rerecord.
Since the silent time is a blanking interval, if a long silent time is provided, a recording capacity is vainly consumed.
It is an object of the invention to provide a recording/reproducing apparatus for reproducing main data which has been recorded on a recording medium and is continuous with respect to time, comprising:
reproducing means for reproducing the main data recorded on the recording medium;
first operating means for allowing the user to set pause position information showing a position to pause the reproduction of the main data and pause time information showing a continuation time to pause at the pause position;
pause information forming means for forming the pause position information and the pause time information on the basis of an operation of the first operating means;
pause information recording means for recording the pause position information and the pause time information onto the recording medium;
timer means for counting a time to stop the reproduction of the main data; and
control means for controlling the pause information recording means so as to record the pause position information and the pause time information formed by the pause information forming means on the basis of the operation of the first operating means onto the recording medium, controlling the timer means so as to count the continuation time to pause on the basis of the pause time information on the basis of the position which is being reproduced by the reproducing means and the pause position information; and controlling the reproducing means so as to pause the reproduction of the main data for a period of time during which the timer means is counting the pause time.
Another object of the invention is to provide a recording/reproducing method of reproducing main data which has-been recorded on a recording medium and is continuous with respect to time, comprising the steps of:
forming pause position information showing a position to pause the reproduction of the main data on the basis of an operation of the user;
forming a time to pause the reproduction of the main data at the position shown by the formed pause position information as pause time information on the basis of an operation of the user;
storing the formed pause position information and pause time information onto the recording medium; and
reproducing the main data and pausing the reproduction of the main data for a predetermined period of time on the basis of the pause position information and the pause time information recorded on the recording medium.
The above and other objects and features of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description and the appended claims with reference to the accompanying drawings.